Last Days Review

So, saw Last Days yesterday, a rather hush-hush screening…only press allowed in, no passholders.

As you must know by now, Last Days is a film “inspired by” the last days in the life of Kurt Cobain. In a similar vein to Elephant, the camera impassively follows jaded rock star Blake (Michael Pitt) as he literally stumbles around his home in the woods, mumbling to himself. There’s a sense of decay everywhere, from Blake’s disheveled appearance, to his house, a mansion that seems to be slowly disintegrating. The best aspect of this film is how well writer/director Gus Van Sant really captures that feeling of complete alienation from your surroundings; it’s as if Blake’s moving through another dimension, truly unable to make any sort of real connection with the people he encounters. But what will make this film frustrating for some is the complete lack of detail of any of the characters “inner lives”; with no way of knowing any of their feelings or motivations, the viewer becomes as impassive as the camera. I’m not sure if I liked this film, but I would like to see it again.

For those up on their Cobain trivia, there’s a great attention to the little details; Blake’s even shown eating macaroni and cheese (a staple of Kurt’s diet, apparently). There are parallels to the real people in Kurt’s world toward the end, such as the live-in hangers on and the private detective. Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon appears attempting to save Blake from himself, Thurston Moore served as music consultant, and Kurt Loder (talking head on MTV the day they found Kurt) and Michael Azerrad (author of Nirvana bio Come As You Are) contribute voice overs. And some of the visual recreations are downright eerie, especially the greenhouse, and the shots of police/medical personnel around the Blake’s body. Pretty heavily “inspired by” I would say. Some of the encounters between Blake’s friends and the people who show up at the house have a surreal touch (especially when the Mormons arrive!). But at this moment, I’m not entirely sure what point Van Sant is trying get across; the first thing that comes to mind is “This is how a life falls apart.”